MIA Keeps Names of Two More Detainees for Terrorist Act in Secret

08.04.2011

Maia Metskhvarishvili

Netgazeti was informed that law enforcement officers in Kutaisi detained five instead reported three suspects for the terrorist acts. However, the MIA spread information only about three detainees. The family members of one of the detainees did not know of their relative for a long time.

Wife of Davit Berzenia, detained in Zugdidi, was looking for her husband several days initially in Zugdidi and then in Tbilisi.

“The police officers broke into our house and asked where we were hiding Manuchar Dzadzua. I told them we did not know where he was but he might be at his home; then they forced me and my husband out of the house. The police officers pushed me into the car but since I started screaming they pushed me out and took only my husband,” said Ana, the wife of Dato Berzenia.

Berzenia’s wife said the police officers broke into their house at about 3:00 am on March 31; they live in the building of the compact settlement of IDPs in Zugdidi.

On March 31, the information about the planned terrorist acts in Kutaisi was spread. In the second half of the day, the MIA spread information about detention of only three persons – Manuchar Dzadzua, Avtandil Dzadzua and Kalistrate Malania.

“Where do they hide him? Why have they detained him? If he was guilty, why they did not announce his name together with others and if he is not a guilty, why they keep him detained,” said the neighbor Darejan Lamanjia.

The wife found her husband three days ago in Tbilisi. “He is in the pretrial detention setting. They said they have hired an attorney for him who will visit Dato next day,” said Ana.

Berzenia’s family members and neighbors recalled the day, when Manuchar Dzadzamia appeared in their yard. According to the MIA, he planned the explosion of the Kutaisi City Hall, House of Justice and the Kutaisi office of the Labor Party according to the instructions of the chief lieutenant of the Russian Federal Security Service Aleksei Ushakov for 3 000 USD. According to the Georgian MIA, Gali resident Manuchar Dzadzua was detained on March 31 in Zugdidi.

IDPs living in Kombinati settlement in Zugdidi said Manuchar Dzadzua received a flat in their building 17 years ago as an IDP from Gali district during the war in 1993. The neighbors said although he has not appeared in their settlement for the last 10-12 years, he still owns the flat in the building.

“On March 30, Manuchar arrived at his house. His next-door neighbor said he had a bag with him and asked her where to store it; he said he had some useless things in it. The woman advised him to take the bag into his flat. We did not know what he had in the bag and what he was going to do with it?! We learned later, when he was already arrested, that he was going to explode some buildings,” said Darejan Lamanjia.

On the same day, Manuchar Dzadzua visited Dato Berzenia’s family who lived in the same building.

“I am also from Gali and Manuchar was cousin of my neighbor there; so I knew him but had not seen him for 12 years already. He visited us and congratulated with the marriage of our son. He refused to have dinner with us and drank only coffee. My husband is a taxi-driver and when he returned him apologized to the guest and went to bed immediately; he did not even drink coffee with him. Half an hour later Manuchar left us; he said he was leaving next day and did not stay till late,” said Dato Berzenia’s wife.

Early in the morning police officers arrested Berzenia but family members allege nobody explained them the reason of his detention.

The neighbors speak about several versions:

-Maybe, Manuchar used Dato’s cell-phone to call somebody and police officers arrested Dato for that;
- Maybe, Dato was going to take Manuchar to Kutaisi by his taxi.

Nobody is sure in his version.

Netgazeti asked spokesperson of the MIA Zurab Gvenetadze why police officers detained Dato Berzenia. On the phone, he promised us to check the information in the ministry and call him later; but later Gvenetadze said he would call us back as soon as finds out the information; we are still waiting for his call. According to the official information, which is published on the website of the MIA, three suspects for the terrorist acts in Kutaisi are detained. Video-confessions of those three detainees are enclosed to the information; nobody mentions Dato Berzenia at all.

News agencies reported on April 6 that Tbilisi City Court sentenced detained three people to imprisonment.

“Netgazeti” got in touch with the public relation department of the Tbilisi City Court and asked whether the Court discussed the cases of other detainees too – for example Dato Berzenia – together with Dzadzuas and Malania.

The representatives of the press-center told us the Tbilisi City Court discussed liabilities of all five detainees – Manuchar Dzadzua, Avtandil Dzadzua, Kalistrate Malania, Dato Berzenia and Sulkhan Tsitashvili; they were sentenced to imprisonment. The essential hearing of the case is scheduled for May 18.

Who is Sulkhan Tsitashvili? What connection do he and Dato Berzenia have with the planned terrorist acts in Kutaisi and why does the MIA hide information about their detention in secret? Netgazeti could not get answers on these questions from the MIA yet.